The Brookings Institution Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy African Immigrants in Metropolitan Washington A Demographic Overview Jill H.Wilson African Immigrants and Refugees Foundation Conference November 18, 2003
A Word about the Data Census 2000 Foreign-born defined as all persons born outside the U.S. Does not ask about immigration status Includes legal permanent residents, temporary migrants (e.g. students), refugees and asylum seekers, and undocumented migrants
Context: U.S. Immigration Figure 1: Total Foreign Born and Share Foreign Born in the United States, 1900-2000 35 14.7% 16% Population in Millions 30 25 20 15 10 13.6% 13.2% 11.6% 8.8% Foreign-born Population (in Millions) Percent of total Population 6.9% 5.4% 4.7% 6.2% 7.9% 11.1% 14% 12% 10% 8% 6% 4% Percent of Total Population 5 2% 0 10.3 13.5 13.9 14.2 11.6 10.3 9.7 9.6 14.1 19.8 31.1 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000* 0% Source: Lindsay and Singer, 2003
U.S. Foreign-born Population 881,300, 3% 1% 16% 53% 27% Latin America Asia Europe Africa Other Source: Census 2000
Number of Africans in the U.S. is Increasing 60000 50000 African Immigrants Admitted by INS, 1989-2001 Africans 40000 30000 20000 10000 0 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 Year Admitted
Most Africans Arrived Recently African-born Population in the U.S. by Period of Entry, Census 2000 155,444, 18% Before 1980 1980-1990 1990-2000 498,927, 56% 226,929, 26%
U.S. Settlement Patterns Africans are scattered throughout the country The largest concentrations are near large cities and in the Northeast Forty percent of Africans live in just four states: New York, California, Texas, and Maryland No state has fewer than 150 Africans DC, Maryland, and Rhode Island have the highest proportions of Africans
U.S. Settlement Patterns U.S. average 0.3% Foreign-born from Africa as a percent of total population by county No Africans 0.01% to 0.12% 0.13% to 0.29% 0.3% to 1.45% 1.46% to 6.0%
Africans are highly urbanized 95% of the African-born were living in a metropolitan area in 2000. Almost one-half lived in just ten metro areas. 49% 4% 11% 3% 3% 3% 2% 2% 11% 5% 4% 3% New York Washington Los Angeles Atlanta Minneapolis Boston Houston Chicago Dallas Philadelphia All Other Metros Non-Metro Areas
Washington Stands Out METRO AREA AFRICANS AFRICAN % of FB AFRICAN % of TOT New York, NY PMSA 99,126 3.16 1.06 Washington, DC-MD-VA-WV PMSA 93,271 11.21 1.89 Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA PMSA 43,024 1.25 0.45 Atlanta, GA MSA 36,645 8.7 0.89 Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI MSA 30,388 14.4 1.02 Boston, MA--NH PMSA 29,475 5.80 0.87 Houston, TX PMSA 26,266 3.07 0.63 Chicago, IL PMSA 23,355 1.64 0.28 Dallas, TX PMSA 20,975 3.55 0.60 Philadelphia, PA-NJ PMSA 20,391 5.71 0.40 Newark, NJ PMSA 18,086 4.69 0.89 Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA PMSA 16,108 4.85 0.67 Middlesex-Somerset-Hunterdon, NJ PMSA 13,142 5.40 1.12 Baltimore, MD PMSA 13,007 8.90 0.51 Providence--Fall River--Warwick, RI-MA MSA 12,380 8.67 1.04 Oakland, CA PMSA 12,006 2.09 0.50 Jersey City, NJ PMSA 11,961 5.10 1.96 San Diego, CA MSA 11,905 2.0 0.42 Columbus, OH MSA 11,114 15.6 0.72 Orange County, CA PMSA 10,387 1.22 0.36
Census Definition of Washington Includes District of Columbia, five counties in Maryland, 17 counties/ cities in Virginia, And two counties in West Virginia. Warren Berkeley Jefferson Clarke Culpeper Fauquier Loudoun Spotsylvania Frederick Stafford Montgomery Arlington D.C. Fairfax Alexandria Prince Manassas George's Prince William Fredericksburg King George Charles Calvert
Region of Origin for Foreign Born in Washington Other 2% Latin America/ Caribbean 39% Africa 11% Europe 12% Asia 36% Census 2000 counted 93,271 Africans in metro Washington. Africans comprise eleven percent of the foreign-born population in the region, compared to only 3% nationwide.
Region of Origin for Africans in Washington 6% 4% 2% 14% North West 46% East 28%
Top African Countries of Origin in Washington Census 2000 44% 5% Ethiopia Ghana Egypt 16% 15% 12% 8% Nigeria Sierra Leone Other INS 1990-1998 1. Ethiopia 2. Nigeria 3. Ghana 4. Sierra Leone 5. Somalia 6. Egypt 7. Liberia 8. Morocco 9. Sudan 10. Cameroon
Distribution of Africans in Washington by Zip Code, Census 2000 Berkeley Jefferson Clarke Loudoun Frederick Montgomery Number of Africans 0 to 175 179 to 500 501 to 1000 1001 to 2000 2001 to 3800 Warren Fauquier Manassas Fairfax Prince William D.C. Alexandria Prince George's Culpeper Stafford Charles Calvert Fredericksburg King George Spotsylvania 40 0 40 80 Miles
Distribution of Africans in Inner Washington by Zip Code, Census 2000 Montgomery Number of Africans 0 to 175 176 to 500 501 to1000 1001 to 2000 2001 to 3800 District of Columbia Alexandria Fairfax Arlington Prince George's Prince William Charles 20 0 20 40 Miles
Africans in Local Jurisdictions Jurisdiction African % Of Total African % Of FB Africans Alexandria VA 6.0 23.5 7,665 Montgomery MD 3.0 11.1 25,776 Prince George s s MD 2.8 20.4 22,562 Arlington VA 2.6 9.5 5,014 Fairfax Co. VA 1.8 7.4 17,556 District of Columbia 1.6 12.5 9,208 Falls Church VA 1.1 6.7 112 Prince William VA 1.1 9.4 3,028 Loudoun VA 0.7 5.9 1,137 Fairfax City 0.6 2.3 123 Manassas VA 0.4 2.8 139 Frederick MD 0.2 5.5 426
Africans in Selected Places: Percent of Foreign Born Population Percent Foreign Born 20% - 30% Germantown Gaithersburg Montgomery Village Redland 31% - 40% > 40% North Potomac Aspen Hill Rockville Wheaton-Glenmont Fairland North Bethesda White Oak Potomac Silver Spring Adelphi Langley Park Greenbelt Bethesda Takoma Park Herndon Chillum East Riverdale Reston McLean Tysons Corner Oakton Idylwood Chantilly Arlington Jefferson Seven Corners Fairfax Bailey's Crossroads Centreville Annandale Lincolnia Alexandria SILVER SPRING (35.2%) Ethiopia 5.6% Other W.Africa 3.8% KALORAMA HEIGHTS, EAST RIVERDALE ADAMS (33.8%) MORGAN, LANIER HEIGHTS (25.2%) Nigeria 5.7% Ethiopia 1.8% Sierra Leone 4.2% Other ALEXANDRIA E.Africa 2.8% (25.4%) Ethiopia 7.5% Ghana 4.4% West Springfield Burke Springfield Groveton Source: Singer, 2003 Mount Vernon MOUNT VERNON (20.9%) Ghana 10.4%
Conclusion African immigration to the U.S. is a growing trend. Washington region is a major U.S. destination for Africans. Most come from Western and Eastern Africa. Africans concentrate in the District and the inner suburbs.
Contact Information jwilson@brookings.edu www.brookings.edu/urban